Valley of the Sunflowers Paper Project

Valley of the
Sunflowers Paper Project was formed by three papermaking artists; Dana
LeMoine, Rachel Nore, and Kerri Harding.
Dana and Rachel are current graduate students in printmaking at Arizona
State University while Kerri has her MFA in book making and was recently an
employee of Hayden Library working in book binding and conservation.

Valley of the
Sunflowers was located in downtown Phoenix.
The resulting sunflowers were harvested for fuel. We were generously given the remaining
sunflower stalks from the first harvest to make paper and our project was born. This project began with sustainability in
mind and we are continuing that theme through our papermaking in using every
part of the sunflower.

We have spent a
few months conducting research on how to make successful sunflower paper and
have finally produced a number of beautiful sheets that can support a variety
of art making processes. We were even invited to present our research at an international papermaking conference
called “Watermarks 2012” this last October.

The next step in our project is
to exhibit local artist’s work on the sunflower paper pertaining to the theme
of sustainability. We hope that the
outcome of such an exhibit will bring all our research efforts back to Phoenix
and the Valley of the Sunflowers
while raising awareness of the issues of sustainability in the valley.

Currently, we have 21 local artists who have agreed to participate by making artwork on or with the sunflower paper and we plan to exhibit no more than 25 artist's work. The finished work will be exhibited on January 18th, 2013 at Combine Studios in downtown Phoenix.

HOW DOES KICKSTARTER WORK? When you donate to Valley of the Sunflowers Paper Project via Kickstarter, we only get the donation if we meet our goal. If we don't reach our goal, we receive $0! And you donate $0!

CAN WE EXCEED OUR KICKSTARTER GOAL? Yes!!! If we make more than our $600 goal, we will be able to purchase more materials of a higher quality, produce more, and make this project and exhibition an even more amazing experience! So please help spread the word to anyone who might be interested in supporting our project.

With your support, we hope to make this exhibition a memorable experience.

Your donations will go toward:

materials to produce a spiral bound notes and recipes book on making handmade sunflower paper

materials to make more sunflower paper

materials for installing The Valley of the Sunflowers Paper Project exhibition at Combine Studios in downtown Phoenix including framing and display items

postcards to promote the exhibition

shipping costs to fulfill rewards

Rewards:

$1 or more donated gets you something in return! Look to the rewards explanations at the right of this page for more specific details. Backers will receive rewards via e-mail and/or physical mail. Once this project is successfully funded, backers will be contacted and asked to provide contact information in order to get their rewards.

$1-$50....Sponsorship recognition: this means your name and all other sponsor's names will be printed in list form with explanation and displayed in the art exhibition this January 2013.

$5-$25...Digital version of detailed notes and recipes on how to make handmade sunflower paper: We've spent months researching the best ways to make a good sheet of sunflower paper and you'll get all of that information e-mailed to your personal e-mail account!

$50...Spiral bound book of detailed notes and recipes on how to make handmade sunflower paper: You'll get a hard copy of notes and recipes that also includes images mailed to your physical address!

$10-$50...Handmade sunflower paper: an actual piece(s) of the handmade sunflower paper made by Dana, Kerri, and Rachel will be mailed to your physical address! These are handmade papers with a gorgeous color and texture. Images of the paper can be seen in the video at the top of this page.

For more information about Valley of the Sunflowers (this is the project that helped start our project, Valley of the Sunflowers Paper Project, by donating sunflower stalks), please visit:

Risks and challenges

The production of sunflower paper, curating and installing an exhibit, and making of materials for a book are time consuming processes. However, my teammates and I have experience with these processes and are confident that we will be able to reach our goals.

With your support we are confident that this project will be successful and enjoyed by many.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5 or more
About $5

You will receive sponsorship recognition at the Valley of the Sunflowers Paper Project exhibition. We will e-mail photos that document the installed exhibit as well as a digital version of detailed notes and recipes on how to make handmade sunflower paper to your e-mail account.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10 or more
About $10

You will receive sponsorship recognition at the Valley of the Sunflowers Paper Project exhibition. We will e-mail photos that document the installed exhibit as well as a digital version of detailed notes and recipes on how to make sunflower paper to your e-mail account. You will also receive one 4" x 5" piece of handmade sunflower paper.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $15 or more
About $15

You will receive sponsorship recognition at the Valley of the Sunflowers Paper Project exhibition. We will e-mail photos that document the installed exhibit as well as a digital version of detailed notes and recipes on how to make sunflower paper to your e-mail account You will also receive one 8" x 10" piece of handmade sunflower paper.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

You will receive sponsorship recognition at the Valley of the Sunflowers Paper Project exhibition. We will e-mail photos that document the installed exhibit as well as a digital version of detailed notes and recipes on how to make handmade sunflower paper to your e-mail account. You will also receive two 8" x 10" pieces of handmade sunflower paper.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

You will receive sponsorship recognition at the Valley of the Sunflowers Paper Project exhibition. We will e-mail photos that document the installed exhibit to your e-mail account. You will also receive one spiral bound book of detailed notes and recipes (including images) on how to make handmade sunflower paper. You will also receive three pieces of 8" x 10" handmade sunflower paper.